Improvement in ventilation of railway-tunnels



Patented May 25,1875.

ATTiNlIIEY DIXON.

Ventilating of Railway Tunnels, &c.

THE GRAPHIC COPNOTO -l:lTM-39 In 41 PARK PLACE. NY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH DIXON, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN VENTILATION OF RAlLWAV-TUNNELS, 80c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 163,643, dated May 25,1875; application filed April 24, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH DIXON, of thecity, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Ventilation of Railway-Tunnels and other Structures,of which the following is a specification:

My improvement is more particularly designed for underground railways,tunnels, &c., in cities where openings to the external air cannot be hadwithout interference with the surface traffic of the street, or withoutpurchasing adjoining lands and using same for ventilating-shafts. So asto deal with a less body of air in long tunnels, I propose to divide thetunnels into sections of a mile, more or less, and to place midway ofthese sections a suitable fan-blower, connected by suction-pipes,extending right and left into the tunnel, either at the top or at anyelevation between the top and bottom of the tunnel that may be deemedmost desirable, and to place partitions by means of pivoted or foldingdoors across the tunnel on either side of said suction-pipes, saidpartitions occupying the entire space crosswise of the tunnel, as shownin the accompanying drawingspending the arrival of a train, saidpartitiondoors to remain closed. The said doors may have spring-hingesconnecting them with levers lying alongside the rails, said leversextending a suitable distance from said partitions up and down therailway-line, so that the doors may be opened by an approaching train,and closed again immediately after the tunnel, either in an undergroundvault or other structure, the fan, being set in motion by steam or otherpower, withdraws the foul air from, say, half a mile of tunnel on thelefthand side, and at the same time, and by the same operation, it alsoacts in like manner on the length of tunnel on the right-hand side,

and discharges the foul air from both sections through a pipe ofsuitable size on the opposite side of the fan, said pipe extending tothe surface of the earth, and thence continued up a suitable heightabove the surface by an ornamental hollow column.

If deemed more desirable, as occupying less space on the surface of astreet, two or more small columns may be used instead of one large one.

The principle herein described may be applied both to single tunnels, orto tunnels divided by partition-walls longitudinally.

For the purpose of keeping up an abundant supply of fresh air, hollowcolumns may be erected above the street surface, midway between thesections hereinbefore described, and connected downward by openings intothe tunnel, so that as fast as the foul air is removed by thefan-blower, fresh air will rush down through these columns.

By the method herein described, perfect ventilation is constantlymaintained at small cost, and without incurring expense for land andpermanently devoting it to ventilatingshafts.

In the accompanying drawings I give examples of my invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a single tunnel, showing the application ofmy invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation of the samethrough the line mm. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a double tunnel, showingthe application of my invention thereto. Fig. 4 is a sectional endelevation of the same through the line a 00.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A, the walls of the tunnel, which maybe of any suitable form ormaterial; B, blowingmachine, communicating by means of pipes O C O withthe interior of the tunnels. O is the discharge-pipe of theblowing-machine. D is the dividing-wall of the two tunnels shown in Fig.3. E are pipes for the supply of fresh air. F F F are doors for closingone end of the tunnel. When these doors are closed, as shown in thedrawings, and the blower B set in motion, the air contained within thetunnel will be exhausted and delivered through pipe 0' into a chimney orother exit, While fresh air will enter at the other end of the tunneland through the supply-pipes E.

I do not limit or confine myself to the exact form, position, orconstruction of any of the parts herein mentioned, as they may be variedin many ways without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent The combination ofone or more partitioning-doors and a blowing apparatus with the tunnel,substantially as herein shown and described.

JOSEPH DIXON.

Witnesses:

T. B. MosHER, ALEX. F. Ronnnrs.

